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THE DRY
ITVX
The Dry is the story of recovering alcoholic Shiv Sheridan (Roisin Gallagher) and her ongoing struggle for sobriety while surrounded by her sabotaging family.
As a premise it lends itself to a brand of mordant ‘dramedy’ that feels both specifically Irish and very on-trend; it’s written by Irish playwright Nancy Harris and produced by the company that gave us 2020’s lockdown hit Normal People.
The first series of this Dublin-set show appeared on Britbox in 2022 and has just finished an ITV run, from which the second series has swiftly segued.
With the benefit of hindsight, I can’t wholeheartedly recommend diving into a second series without having had at least a sip of the first. I spent most of the first episode wondering who everybody was.
My fault, yet the first episode of a second series should always do some heavy lifting – viewer loyalty can’t automatically be assumed.
Shiv Sheridan, played by Roisin Gallagher (front centre), is a recovering alcoholic stuck in the midst of her sabotaging family
Though each episode is just 30 minutes, the show avoids sitcom’s rat-a-tat delivery. In the first episode, Shiv spends most of her time looking confused/hurt in reaction to her mum Bernie (Pom Boyd) and her AA sponsor Karen (Janet Moran).
At the end I was nearly as confused as I had been at the beginning, however I kept going because I was annoyed I still didn’t know why three gainfully employed thirtysomething siblings were living at home.
Why was Ciaran Hinds’s character living in a shed?
Or why dad Tom (wonderful Ciaran Hinds, in something of a casting coup) was living in a shed at the bottom of the garden while his ex-wife was in the family home with her new partner.
These plot points all felt like sudsy sitcom. And then there was the fact of Shiv’s alcoholism which, as she’s in recovery, is unseen; a veritable ghost in the room.
In screenwriting parlance, the ‘inciting incident’ is what viewers will recognise as the main event driving a plot forwards – Hagrid telling Harry Potter he’s a wizard, for example, or in this case Shiv discovering she’s an alcoholic.
Except that Harry Potter without Harry discovering he’s a wizard is unimaginable while The Dry without Shiv being an alcoholic is entirely plausible. Indeed, if you stripped away the alcoholism you’d still end up with an entirely sustainable plot.
Kathryn Flett gave The Dry four stars
Nonetheless, four episodes on and the Sheridans had not only stopped irritating me, I’d started to care about them. When Shiv and sister Caroline met accidentally in the street and Caroline said, ‘I have some news,’ Shiv responded, ‘I have some news too,’ shutting her sister down.
‘I think mine might be bigger,’ muttered Caroline. ‘Right!’ said Shiv. ‘When has anyone in this family ever given a f**k about my achievements!’ ‘What achievements?’
Oof! Suddenly, I found myself rooting for them both because The Dry is, despite its tricksiness, very warm and genuinely touching. However, if you haven’t watched the first series here’s my top tip: begin at the beginning.
History’s never been so cool
ROYAL KILL LIST
TUESDAYS, SKY HISTORY
I appreciate that a 17th-century history lesson isn’t for everybody. However, if you think it might be for you, three-parter Royal Kill List is a fashionable high-low mix of costume drama with modern dialogue and a cool soundtrack.
Set alongside brilliantly scripted commentary from A-list actors – including Joseph Fiennes (speaking for King Charles II) and Jared Harris (speaking for the Regicides, the 104 men responsible for the execution of Charles’s father, Charles I) – it is an engaging way to bring to life a particularly visceral slice of our nation’s history.
Jared Harris (left) speaks for the Regicides, the 104 men responsible for the execution of Charles’s father, Charles I, while Ashely Emerson (right) plays Charles II
As Charles II (played by Ashley Emerson) returns from exile to reclaim the crown and seek revenge for his father’s death at a time of great upheaval, the story is stuffed with detail about life in England post-Cromwell.
However, what could easily be a boring history lesson never lets the facts get in the way of the drama; this is a Restoration tragedy writ large and loud.
It is also the kind of show that should be shown in schools; but how many have Sky subscriptions, I wonder?
Sally’s right up my alley
Sally Lindsay (pictured) is back on-screen as Emma, a likeable and relatable divorcée, in Love Rat
With barely a break for a cuppa after The Madame Blanc Mysteries, Sally Lindsay was back on-screen in Love Rat (My5).
Her speciality is Likeable, Relatable Everywoman – here she’s LRE and divorcée Emma.
From sun-soaked, love-struck Shirley Valentine to blood-soaked, crime-busting amateur detective, Emma’s journey was effectively Madame Blanc’s, turbo-charged. Ridiculous but fun!
Confession: I have a qualification in interior design, but I’d have been challenged by the first task in the new series of Interior Design Masters (Tuesdays, BBC1): turning former nuns’ cells into ‘destination’ B&B bedrooms, delivered in what judge Michelle Ogundehin said should be the contestants’ ‘signature style’.
During week one some of the ‘signatures’ were still a bit of a scribble. But fans of the show know that, by the series’ end, at least one contestant’s learning curve will be beautifully drawn.
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